AN IMPORTANT AND RARE BLACK AND TURQUOISE 'CAT' PORCELAIN NIGHTLIGHT, KANGXI China, 1661-1722. The crouched feline with the tail curled against its haunches, the fur with vivid tiger-like striping, the face neatly detailed with pierced alert eyes and pricked ears, the top of its back with a circular aperture, the interior hollow. The remarkably thin biscuit is superbly modeled overall.

Provenance: Charlotte Horstmann & Gerald Godfrey, Ltd., Hong Kong, 7 April 2003. A private collector, acquired from the above, and thence by descent. The interior with three inventory labels. A copy of the previous owner's personal notes, detailing the purchase of the present lot, noting a date of 7 April 2003, and a purchase price of USD 26,000 or approx. EUR 39,600 (converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing), accompanies this lot. Charlotte Horstmann (1908-2003) was a legendary art dealer in Hong Kong, widely recognized as one of the three doyennes of the Asian art world, together with Helen Ling in Singapore and Connie Mangskau in Bangkok. She was born in Berlin to missionaries who moved with their daughter to Beijing shortly after her birth. In the 1920s and 1930s, she worked as an interpreter, meeting important art collectors and academics such as John D. Rockefeller Jr. and Lawrence Sickman. She became an antiques dealer in Beijing and in 1950 moved to Bangkok, taking her now-famous collection of Ming furniture with her. In 1955, she moved to Hong Kong and opened a small shop on Ice House Road. Over time, this shop became a destination for stars, politicians, business magnates, and high-ranking government officials from around the world. In 1981, she renamed the shop Charlotte Horstmann & Gerald Godfrey, Ltd., the younger, English-born Godfrey being a partner in the business since its move to Hong Kong in 1955. In 1987, they opened a subsidiary gallery in London, Mayfair.
Condition: Excellent condition with only minor old wear, mostly originating from tender caressing over centuries, and minimal manufacturing flaws. The interior with traces of soot. Extremely rare in this magnificent state of preservation, especially when considering the fragility of this item.

Weight: 332.5 g
Dimensions: Length 19.5 cm

Cat nightlights were made as early as the late Ming period. Two blue and white examples were found in the first Hatcher cargo (sold at Christie's Amsterdam, 14 March 1984, lots 279 and 280). The French Jesuit François Xavier d'Entrecolles (1664 in Lyon - 1741 in Beijing), Chinese name Yin Hongxu, was famously struck by the form on his Kangxi period visit to Jingdezhen, writing, “I have seen a cat painted after life, in the head of which a little lamp was put to illuminate the eyes, and was assured that in the night the rats were terrified by it.”

Literature comparison:
Compare two related cat nightlights in the collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, one with a turquoise glaze dated to the 18^th century, accession number 1955-50-345, and the other decorated with famille verte enamels and dated to the Kangxi period, accession number 1955-50-346.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie's New York, 21 January 2009, lot 15
Price: USD 11,250 or approx. EUR 14,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A rare blue and white cat nightlight, Kangxi period

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Sotheby's New York, 24 January 2014, lot 31
Price: USD 8,750 or approx. EUR 10,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A Chinese export aubergine and green-glazed biscuit 'cat' night light, circa 1800.


康熙出口瓷貓夜燈
中國，1661-1722年。貓形夜燈，尾巴蜷縮在一側，虎紋，雙眼警覺，耳朵豎起，背部的頂部有一個圓形的孔，內部是空洞的。非常薄的素胚，整體造型生動。

來源：香港Charlotte Horstmann & Gerald Godfrey 藝廊，2003年4月7日；私人收藏，購於上述藝廊，保存至今。燈内有三個標籤。隨附一份2003年4月7日出具的前任藏家個人注釋副本，買價USD $26,000 ，相當於現在的 EUR 39,600 。Charlotte Horstmann (1908-2003) 曾是香港一位非常傳奇的藝術商，與新加坡的 Helen Ling 以及曼谷的 Connie Mangskau 一起被公認為亞洲藝術界的三大元老之一。她出生在柏林，父親是一位傳教士，在她出生後不久就帶著女兒搬到了北京。上世紀二十至三十年代，她擔任過口譯員，認識了重要的藝術收藏家和學者，如John D. Rockefeller Jr. 和Lawrence Sickman。她在北京成為一名古董商，並於 1950 年搬到曼谷，帶著她現在著名的明代家具收藏。1955年移居香港，在雪廠街開了一家小店。這家店慢慢成為來自世界各地的明星、政治家、商業巨頭和高級政府官員的必去之地。1981 年，她將店鋪更名為 Charlotte Horstmann & Gerald Godfrey。1955 年移居香港后，年輕的英國出生的 Godfrey 成為該公司的合夥人。1987 年，他們在倫敦梅菲爾開設了第二家藝廊。
品相：品相極好，只有輕微磨損，可能因爲幾個世紀以來一直小心愛護，缺陷極少。內部有煙灰的痕跡。

重量：332.5 克
尺寸：長 19.5 厘米

貓形夜燈最早出現在明末。著名的哈察號 上就曾有兩件青花貓形夜燈 (阿姆斯特丹佳士得，1984年3月14日 lots 279 與 280)。法國傳教士 François Xavier d'Entrecolles (1664 年出生於里昂 - 1741年在北京), 中文名殷弘緒，康熙年間訪景德鎮時，曾被見到的貓燈所震撼，在他的文章中寫道：“我曾見過一隻死後還被畫的貓，頭上放著一盞小燈，照亮眼睛。我相信，老鼠在晚上肯定被它嚇壞了。”

文獻比較：
比較費城藝術博物館收藏的兩件相近的貓型夜燈，一件是18世紀的綠松石釉貓型夜燈，收藏號碼1955-50-345，另一件是康熙時期硬彩貓型夜燈，收藏號碼1955-50-346。

拍賣結果比較：
形制：相近
拍賣：紐約佳士得，2009年1月21日，lot 15
價格：USD 11,250（相當於今日EUR 14,500）
描述：康熙時期青花貓型夜燈

拍賣結果比較：
形制：相近
拍賣：紐約蘇富比，2014年1月24日，lot 31
價格：USD 8,750（相當於今日EUR 10,500）
描述：大約1800年中國出口茄紫和綠釉貓型夜燈